He continued: “Chris is more of a power player and Shiv is a manipulator of the ball. With Chris, you know you have to give him the strike and keep him flowing, and with Shiv you know you can manoeuvre the ball and build a steady partnership.”

Powell said neither the condition nor the tactics of the Bangladeshis, who chose to open the bowling with newly-minted Test off-spinner Sohag Gazi caught him off guard.

“Early in the day, the pitch was a bit soft, but it started to play evenly as the day wore on,” he said.

“We expected a lot of spin in Bangladesh, so we were not completely surprised that they started with a spinner. As an international player, you have to prepare your mind for anything.

“I thought [Gazi] bowled some good areas initially, but once I started to understand his bowling action, it became a bit easier for me to score.”

Powell concluded that West Indies had made a grand start to the Test and would be looking to reinforce their position on Wednesday’s second day.

“I think we won this day,” he said. “Two of us got hundreds, 350-plus runs on the board, only four wickets down, I think we are in a commanding position to press on for an impregnable total.

“Generally, we look at 400 in the first innings, but 500 runs plus would be an excellent first innings total for us.”